The recessed stone shelf in the wall seems to be a German tradition. In the 1824 German settlement of Old Economy Village in modern Ambridge, PA, the root cellars often have two recessed shelves built into the cellar walls. In the cellars I'm familiar with there is typically one taller recessed one with three shelves having stone walls on three sides and a thick plank on the top holding up more of the cellar wall above. The second shelf looks like yours. Now I should say that except for a few full cellars, most are smaller root cellars in one corner of the fronts of the houses with crawl space under the rest of the house. So the back of the smaller shelf has a white washed board instead of masonry, but still with stone sides and plank top. The reason for the back board isn't immediately apparent. But if you knock on it you realize it's hollow behind. That's because it's an access to the crawl space under that side of the house. I don't believe it was meant to be regularly traversed but served as some sort of way to get in for inspection for termites or what ever, and this just was a dual use shelf. I imagine most of what was stored in there were bulk items like bins of potatoes or a big ham hanging off a hook, etc., so that perhaps a homemaker would have a need to chill and store a bowl or plate of something having no refrigerator. So instead of using a valuable item like a table that would have been too precious a working piece of furniture much needed in the living spaces, you set plates and bowls in the wall shelf. Our cellars were all painted over with heavy layers of whitewash (quicklime was made on the farm or locally and is highly caustic) for cleanliness and sanitation. I hope this helps
My grandpa's wine cellar had a similar hole. On the two side there were wine barrels, on the end there was this hole in the wall, that he used to store glasses, barrel plugs and taps.
Just found your channel and I love it. I grew up in Fairfield, Pa and loved all the historic farms and stone buildings. I settled in Alaska but still love the family farms of early America. Thanks for sharing your journey!
That hole? It's a cold shelf, really a cool shelf. A place to put something to cool it before transitioning to a cooler place, or just to make it cool. Our ancestors were very smart in the ways they worked with what they had. And nice job on fixing up the larder You can also get 'new' boards that look old by salvaging pallets. The wear and tear and being out in the elements 'ages' the pallet wood quite well. Best ones are the pallets from equipment, as they tend to be oak or other hard woods.
THANKS for the info. So, it's cool AND "cool". :) Yes, it's amazing what they were able to do 180 years ago. That's a great idea with the pallets. Oak ones would definitely be ideal. We may use that in future projects. THANKS!
A tip for storing empty canning jars would be to turn them upside down to keep them cleaner. If your wall hole has ever been patched with stone, then it may have been a coal chute or a house vent. My 1890 home still has the cast iron doors for the coal and it has several openings with a grate which are still vents. We cover them in the winter and open them in summer.
Paint the baskets with refreshing colors. It’ll indicate what is in the basket and also make them last longer by preventing rot from spoiled produce, spills, etc
What zone are you in? I'm curious how you get sweet potatoes, especially ones that big! - I'm new to your channel, but I'm already in love with your farm and the format of your videos.
@@waardenburgfamilyfarm4764 Yeah, they are really cool. We ended up making our own because we use a 10 Liter crock and need a bigger one, but it’s not as artistic as that lol 😊
Not to insult your intelligence, but isn't there a farmhouse restoration society or something that would know what your hole in the wall is? If you find them, ask about the two front doors in many farmhouses...best I could come up with is one formal (Sunday) door and one everyday door. Or, one clean door and one dirty door...looks really good though!
I was given a name of a guy on instagram who is known for farmhouse restoration, but he hasn't gotten back to me. I may link the video to a root cellar group I'm in to see if anyone there knows. I have no idea about the two doors. It doesn't seem that ours ever had two front doors in the farmhouse part.
The recessed stone shelf in the wall seems to be a German tradition. In the 1824 German settlement of Old Economy Village in modern Ambridge, PA, the root cellars often have two recessed shelves built into the cellar walls. In the cellars I'm familiar with there is typically one taller recessed one with three shelves having stone walls on three sides and a thick plank on the top holding up more of the cellar wall above. The second shelf looks like yours. Now I should say that except for a few full cellars, most are smaller root cellars in one corner of the fronts of the houses with crawl space under the rest of the house. So the back of the smaller shelf has a white washed board instead of masonry, but still with stone sides and plank top. The reason for the back board isn't immediately apparent. But if you knock on it you realize it's hollow behind. That's because it's an access to the crawl space under that side of the house. I don't believe it was meant to be regularly traversed but served as some sort of way to get in for inspection for termites or what ever, and this just was a dual use shelf. I imagine most of what was stored in there were bulk items like bins of potatoes or a big ham hanging off a hook, etc., so that perhaps a homemaker would have a need to chill and store a bowl or plate of something having no refrigerator. So instead of using a valuable item like a table that would have been too precious a working piece of furniture much needed in the living spaces, you set plates and bowls in the wall shelf. Our cellars were all painted over with heavy layers of whitewash (quicklime was made on the farm or locally and is highly caustic) for cleanliness and sanitation. I hope this helps
My grandpa's wine cellar had a similar hole. On the two side there were wine barrels, on the end there was this hole in the wall, that he used to store glasses, barrel plugs and taps.
Hmmm...interesting.
Just found your channel and I love it. I grew up in Fairfield, Pa and loved all the historic farms and stone buildings. I settled in Alaska but still love the family farms of early America. Thanks for sharing your journey!
Kevin, funny thing is that grew up in Alaska...moved to PA when I was 10. We love the history here.
That hole? It's a cold shelf, really a cool shelf. A place to put something to cool it before transitioning to a cooler place, or just to make it cool.
Our ancestors were very smart in the ways they worked with what they had.
And nice job on fixing up the larder
You can also get 'new' boards that look old by salvaging pallets. The wear and tear and being out in the elements 'ages' the pallet wood quite well. Best ones are the pallets from equipment, as they tend to be oak or other hard woods.
THANKS for the info. So, it's cool AND "cool". :)
Yes, it's amazing what they were able to do 180 years ago.
That's a great idea with the pallets. Oak ones would definitely be ideal. We may use that in future projects. THANKS!
A tip for storing empty canning jars would be to turn them upside down to keep them cleaner.
If your wall hole has ever been patched with stone, then it may have been a coal chute or a house vent. My 1890 home still has the cast iron doors for the coal and it has several openings with a grate which are still vents. We cover them in the winter and open them in summer.
That's a great tip about the jars. They would stay much cleaner. I'll definitely do that from now on.
Paint the baskets with refreshing colors. It’ll indicate what is in the basket and also make them last longer by preventing rot from spoiled produce, spills, etc
You guys are amazing 👏👏👏 What fun it is to watch your progress 😌
Hello Kathleen
How are you doing Today?
Great job 👍 liked and subscribed 👍 hello from Kentucky mountains
What zone are you in? I'm curious how you get sweet potatoes, especially ones that big! - I'm new to your channel, but I'm already in love with your farm and the format of your videos.
We are in zone 6B. We had some large sweet potatoes last year, but nothing like we got this year. Thanks for watching. 🙂
I was just about to ask you got the kraut stamper and then you said someone hand made it. ☺️ I would love to find one like that! 😁
I've seen smaller ones at antique stores/flea markets. Before making sauerkraut I had no idea what they were... Just thought they looked cool. 😎
@@waardenburgfamilyfarm4764 Yeah, they are really cool. We ended up making our own because we use a 10 Liter crock and need a bigger one, but it’s not as artistic as that lol 😊
Wow amazing!
Not to insult your intelligence, but isn't there a farmhouse restoration society or something that would know what your hole in the wall is? If you find them, ask about the two front doors in many farmhouses...best I could come up with is one formal (Sunday) door and one everyday door. Or, one clean door and one dirty door...looks really good though!
I was given a name of a guy on instagram who is known for farmhouse restoration, but he hasn't gotten back to me. I may link the video to a root cellar group I'm in to see if anyone there knows. I have no idea about the two doors. It doesn't seem that ours ever had two front doors in the farmhouse part.